From Being Gone
by Lynders11
Summary: Rachel leaves for two weeks to attend her brothers wedding and see her mom settled at her new place. What happens when she gets back after spending more time away from Ivy than ever before? This takes place after WWBC, so some spoilers are included
1. Chapter 1

Title: From Being Gone

Author(s): Lynders11

Fandom: The Hollows

Summary: Rachel leaves for 2 weeks to attend her brothers wedding and see her mom settled at her new place. What happens when she gets back after spending more time away from Ivy than ever before? This takes place after WWBC, so some spoilers are included

Disclaimer: All characters, and the world they are set in belong to Kim Harrison. I just wanted to write.

Notes: This was all me, any mistakes or inconsistencies that are made in this are entirely on my head.

**Chapter One**

"Rachel?" I heard from the back of the church as I slowly eased the front door shut. It had seemed like I had been gone forever and it felt good to be home. The smell of incense and leather and a hint of the garden, the scents I associated with Ivy and Jenks, wrapped around me the moment I walked through the door. Yup, this was home. Going to my brothers wedding, though not a mistake, had been an extremely trying experience and I was glad to be back. All I wanted was to have a shower, crawl into some comfy PJ's and curl up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee, despite the heat wave currently settled over Cincinnati.

"Yeah it's me" I spoke at a normal volume knowing full well that Ivy could hear me and that since she hadn't come out to check to see who it was walking through our front door, that she already knew it was me.

"I'm glad you're back, it's been very quiet here without you," A crash followed by a bellow from Jenks interrupted the statement, "well uh…as quiet as it can be around here." Spinning around in surprise at the sound of Ivy's silk voice coming from directly behind me I thought, ok, so she _had _come to see who was coming through our door.

"Cripes Ivy, I'm serious about getting you that damn bell! You are worse than the freaking cat and _she_ has to wear a bell!" I will admit it was a bit harsh but startling me wasn't the best way to get an I'm-so-happy-to-be-back-hug, even if you were a six foot vampire that looked like sex walking.

Smirking at my ire, Ivy turned to walk back towards the hall, glancing over her shoulder she said "There is coffee on if you want some, I just made it. I am heading out back to finish helping Jenks with some stuff. Do you need any help with anything?"

"No, thanks though, I've got it." I grumbled to her retreating back. "The cabbie brought everything to the step for me."

"Cabbie?" Ivy asked sounding a bit put out. Like _my_ having to take a cab in this heat somehow upset _her_ life.

"Yeah, you know the nice people that drive you from one place to another, in this case from the airport to here."

"I thought Al was going to drop you off here after your…lesson"

"Apparently he is 'not an airline and had nothing to gain from helping me out'." I quipped using the little quotey quotey signs with my hands while mimicking Al's English accent. "He said it was something to do with the time difference and it would short change him on how long he had me for, unless I was willing to stay the extra time with him." Stifling a shudder I added, "He hadn't been real pleasant after having to pick me up elsewhere two Saturdays in a row; flying back was just easier than trying to deal with him. As it was he barely got me to this side of the lines in time to catch my flight back to Cincy."

Throwing a bit of a whine into my voice to try and get some sympathy seemed to do the trick as Ivy seemed to realize that my time away hadn't been all sunshine and lollipops and that I wasn't in the best of moods, she sashayed her way back over to me looking almost apologetic. "Sorry about startling you, I guess I'm out of practice at purposefully making noise." Trying to stay annoyed while looking at the apologetic grin Ivy had spreading across her face was nearly impossible and I felt the tension start to melt out of me.

"Sorry for snapping at you. It was a long 24 hours with Al and then a long flight. I stink, I'm tired and I shouldn't have taken it out on you".

I took a moment to actually look at Ivy and noticed that though she was still managing to look as svelte and sexy as always, she had bags under her eyes and seemed wire tight. She was trying to be discreet about staring at me, doing it from under half-lidded, hair covered eyes but I was suddenly aware of the intensity of her gaze.

"You ok?" I hedged, wondering if she was trying to burn a hole through me with her eyes.

"I'm fine, here, let me get those for you" She swooped in to pick up a suitcase from either side of me just as I was bending to pick them up. We nearly banged our heads together in the process and she straightened, flushing. Bags in hand she muttered, "Sorry" then spun around to head towards the hallway once again, her speed edging into Vamp quickness.

What the hell was _that_ all about? Try as I might I don't think I was ever going to understand Ivy. Scaring the crap out of me she found amusing but showing the slightest bit of clumsiness embarrassed her? Again, whatever. I scooped up my remaining shoulder bag and followed her to my room to drop it off. She was just laying the suitcases on the bed as I entered and watched as her neurotic attention to detail had her arranging the bags just so.

"What was that all about?" I asked as I dropped my bag on top of my dresser. Turning to face her I saw that the ring of brown around her pupils was shrinking. She was vamping out and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. "Ivy, what the hell? What's going on?"

"Nothing, I am just glad that you are back is all," her voice was lower and more predatory than before. The pheromones that were rolling off of her hit me like a lover's caress. I had to fight to keep my knees from buckling at the tendril of pleasure that was wrapping itself around my core. It was just my scars reaction to her, not mine. I had to stay focused if I wanted to come out of this with my throat intact.

"You're glad that I am back yet your vamping out at four in the afternoon?" Slowly edging towards my door so as to not trigger her instincts into giving chase I kept my voice low and even. Not knowing what was setting her off was scaring the crap out of me, regardless of the pulse of desire that was running through my veins, but I was working hard to keep my breathing and my pulse slow even as I tapped the line out back.

Normally, I could handle talking Ivy down. Normally I knew what the hell set her off in the first place though. I wasn't going to take any chances until I knew what this was all about. I was two steps from the door when she reached out for me and it took everything I had to not flinch or throw the energy now flowing freely through me, at her.

Her hand was tight on my wrist but not painfully so. When she looked up and saw that she was making me uncomfortable she immediately let my hand drop and said "I really missed you while you were gone, I just wanted to make sure that you were actually here. I'm sorry I'll get out now."

"Ivy wait."

Turning towards me at the sound of regret in my voice I saw that her eyes were brown again and she looked ashamed. I felt like an ass. She was a living vampire and she used me as a lodestone. Keeping her centered. Me being gone had probably been hard on her and was what accounted for the tension and the bags under her eyes. I reached out to take her hand again and her eyebrows shot up her forehead.

"I'm really back, I told you I would be, and here I am. Relax, Ivy, I'm not going anywhere ok?"

She sighed and her shoulders drooped at my words as the tension flowed out of her.

"It's been hard not seeing you everyday. I know we sometimes go days without seeing one another when our runs don't jive but at least then I always know you are here. I can see it in the dirty coffee mug sitting in the sink, or the steam coming out from under your bathroom door as I'm leaving or your spell pots being moved around. I didn't realize how much that meant and how reassuring it was until it wasn't there anymore." Hearing her silk voice catching in her throat as she spoke caused a spasm of pain in my chest. I hated seeing Ivy in pain or upset. She was my best friend after all.

She looked up and met my eyes then and I could see she was close to tears. I gave her hand a squeeze to let her know I was listening and I understood. It _had_ been hard not seeing her or traces of her for the last two weeks. I hadn't realized how much I leaned on her not just for protection from vamps after my unclaimed scar but for emotional and mental support as well.

"I worried about you while you were gone and I worried that you maybe would find something better while you were there. I know they have great schools that could help take you to new heights in your spelling and that your mom is moving there and that she was the last of your family left here. I was scared"

"Ivy, I am not going anywhere. You're my family too, so is Jenks. This church is my home. After two days with my brother I couldn't wait to come home…..I missed you too."

"I have barely slept Rachel, I'm sorry that I'm such a mess. I'm sorry I vamped out, I'm sorry I need you so much. It's not fair to you."

She was beating herself up for missing me? It was a long known fact to both of us that Ivy placed her sanity and humanity squarely in my lap and I long ago stopped resenting her for it. I understood that Piscary had screwed her up royally and I hated him for it but not because it meant Ivy depended on me. I hated him for it because he had done it at all. Ivy was not some toy or a part of a game. She was a living, breathing, beautiful woman and because of him she was afraid to love. That fear is what did this to her. My heart broke a little more every time the two of us got into a situation where I was made to understand a little more of Ivy's past. Not thinking it through, just wanting to comfort her I tugged on her hand that I was still holding onto and drew her in for a hug.

"Rachel, …"

"Shh Ivy its ok, I am right here and I just want to give you a hug ok?"

"……..you stink like burnt amber."

"Oh! Right… sorry." I could feel my face flaming when I realized I had just mixed our scents to give comfort that had been no longer needed, "Al didn't leave me any time before my flight when he dropped me off. I haven't been able to have a shower since coming out of the Ever-After" After rummaging through my suitcases for my toiletry bag I pushed passed Ivy into the hall and headed for my bathroom. "I'm going to take a quick shower; I will meet you outside in a few minutes."


	2. Chapter 2

Title: From Being Gone

Author(s): Lynders11

Fandom: The Hollows

Summary: Rachel leaves for 2 weeks to attend her brothers wedding and see her mom settled at her new place. What happens when she gets back after spending more time away from Ivy than ever before? This takes place after WWBC, so some spoilers are included

Disclaimer: All characters, and the world they are set in belong to Kim Harrison. I just wanted to write.

Notes: This was all me, any mistakes or inconsistencies that are made in this are entirely on my head.

**Chapter Two**

Walking into the kitchen after an admittedly not quick shower I found Ivy back in from helping Jenks and sitting at her computer. She seemed like she was fine, in spite of me stupidly mixing our scents…_again_. Sometimes I just didn't think. Oh, who was I kidding, I _never_ thought things through. I just acted, it's what I'm good at. Well sometimes not so good but hey, I was still alive!

Jenks was in the kitchen as well and a smile broke out on my face as I realized he was doing his best to drive her crazy by flitting back and forth in front of her monitor while she was trying to check her emails. Ok, so I am not the only one that doesn't know better.

"Hi Jenks"

"Hi Rache, Tinks little red thong am I glad to see you. Ivy has been as cranky as a pixie with a broken wing since you left. The only times I could even talk to her were when…"

"Jenks, shut up." Ivy warned.

Grinning at Ivy's obvious discomfort at having this topic brought up again and not entirely sure that I wanted to know what Jenks was about to say, I said "I'm glad to be back, my family is too much to take in large doses like that. I much prefer being here, you know, where it's _normal_." Emphasizing the word and grinning I settled myself at the center island and pulled the stack of mail with my name on it towards me. Ooooh bills and junk mail, fun.

"Yeah, normal, that's us. Just your everyday typical normal family." Striking his famous Peter Pan pose he continued "You know Rache, you're no walk in the park yourself, I'm sure they were glad to be rid of you." It's hard to take offense from a four inch man that looks like a miniature sculpture of a God, especially when he's posing like Peter pan. I knew it; Jenks knew it, hell even Ivy knew it though she tried sometimes. It never worked out.

"Gee, thanks Jenks, I can see _why_ I missed you so much"

"Aw, Rache you missed me? Isn't that just fairy puke sweet." Grinning from eat to ear he darted up to land on my outstretched hand. "Well I just came in to say hi so I'm going to head back out to make sure the kids get all of the paint balls and wax paper out of the yard." With that he headed for the pixie hole in the screen. Over his shoulder he added, "I really am glad your back Rache." With a pointed look at Ivy that she couldn't see, he was gone. Oh good, one of those, '_I will talk to you about it later'_ looks. More fun.

Sighing, I decided to ignore it until Jenks found time to tell me whatever it was that was on his mind. Instead I raised my eyebrows in question at Ivy about the paint balls / wax paper thing. She shook her head slightly and gave me the '_Don't ask'_ look, and I decided I wanted coffee before trying to venture into the topic. Some of the things Jenks' family had come up with for entertainment in the past had definitely been…..interesting. Seeing Ivy's mug in the cupboard I grabbed it and poured one for her too.

"Thanks."

"No problem, so what exactly were they doing out there with paint balls and wax paper?" I sighed, I wasn't sure that I really wanted to know.

Ivy smirked and without looking from her monitor explained, "Well apparently Bis doesn't just spit ridiculous distances, he can absorb water like a sponge and act like a water fountain. He's pretty good at controlling the stream. Once the kids found out they decided it was a great way to have their very own waterslide. I really don't know what the paintballs were for but they used the wax paper like boards and somehow managed to keep their wings dry."

"Huh, alright, well I guess that's one of the more harmless past-times they've come up with. Poor Bis, he's like a giant toy to fifty-four pixie children."

"And don't forget the one grown pixie buck. Jenks was just as bad as any of the kids out there; you should have seen the stunts he was pulling. The only respectable one out of the whole lot of them is Matalina." Gently shaking her head, Ivy laughed at the remembered antics. The sound pulled at my heart. She had a beautiful laugh. It was the kind of laugh that was infectious and filled you with a deep peace.

"And you were out there cheering them on weren't you." I teased, "That's the 'stuff' you were helping Jenks with when I came home wasn't it?"

Grinning, she gave me a look that said _'maybe, but you will never get me to admit it'_. I just shook my head and laughed, "Whatever Ivy, don't worry, I won't tell anyone that the big tough vampire likes to play in the puddles."

"They'd never believe you anyway." The devilish glint in her eye almost seemed to be daring me to try and stain her tough-chick reputation. She was right though, outside of this church there were very few people who would believe that Ivy Tamwood, heir to the Tamwood estate, liked to play in puddles. I gave up before I even started.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the weekend?" I asked, remembering my idea for a girl's night out to let Ivy loosen up a bit after the stress of me being gone _and_ to help me recover from two weeks with my family. Nothing like girl talk and dancing to cure all that ails you.

"Nothing really, I don't have any runs planned or anything." Shutting down her computer she arched an eyebrow at me questioningly as she turned in her chair to face me. "Why, what are you thinking?"

"Do you want to go out tomorrow night? Just the two of us and go to a club or something? I'd say lets do it tonight but I feel like I haven't slept since the Turn after the time with Al and then the flight. I'm also starving," I realized as my stomach announced itself to the room, "What do you want for lunch?" I headed toward the fridge to see what we had in the way of groceries. I could whip up something quick and then catch a short nap. I was too tired to stay awake the whole evening but it was far too early to go to bed yet. I had to at least _try_ to get back onto a normal schedule after the almost human schedule of the last two weeks.

"I was thinking tonight we could just all stay in and watch a movie together." Yes I had just suggested a movie night with fifty some odd pixies after saying I was exhausted. No, I was not insane, just a little homesick. I wanted to immerse myself in my church and that meant pixies too. "We could go pick one up later this evening; I just really need to have a nap before doing anything big though."

"The girl's night out sounds great, so does the movie tonight, well not great but uh…interesting. I have plans for lunch though, so don't worry about making anything for me. I'll only be gone a couple of hours so I'll be back in time to go get a movie with you." The slightest hint of embarrassment in her voice made me eye her questioningly. What kind of lunch plans could she have that she'd be embarrassed to tell me about?

"Okay, no problem. Sooo, whatchya doing?" I was going for nonchalant but I think I managed more of an annoying teenager quality instead.

"I'm meeting with Glen at the diner by the bureau." She was blushing and not meeting my eye. What the hell was going on? Did the amazing-plan-the-fun-out-of-everything Ivy screw up one of her runs and get forced into calling the FIB for help?

"Glen? Did you have to bring the FIB in on one of your runs?" I thought it wise to leave the plan-the-fun-out-of-everything bit off. I mean she _was_ still a living vampire and could flatten me in a heartbeat, _even if_ she had screwed up. I smirked but turned back to the open fridge before she could see.

"No, nothing like that. It….it wasn't work related" the fact that she was trying to be evasive plain in her voice.

Her admission caused instant annoyance in me, much to my confusion. Why was I annoyed that Ivy was seeing Glen for non-work related reasons? Not that Ivy was _seeing_ Glen, I'm sure she wouldn't do that to me. Wait_, what? _Do _what_ to me? What was I talking, er…. thinking about? Trying to seem normal, like I wasn't having a spastic argument in my head, I asked, "Oh? What, Glen chickened out and needed you to get tomatoes for him again? I thought he had managed to move past that."

I was actually really hoping that this was what it was, I mean how was I going to get FIB issue gear now that I couldn't lord tomatoes over Glen? Well, there was always blackmail, I'm sure he still hasn't told his Dad. The straight laced Edden wouldn't find his sons enjoyment of tomato products amusing in the least. _No Rachel, be nice. Glen is our friend remember._

"No, actually I ran into him while he was buying tomatoes. I was picking up stuff for a sauce and we started talking. I had been going a little stir crazy without you here" Slumping into herself slightly at the reminder of her earlier near break down she rushed on, "I think he guessed that I wasn't doing so well and he asked if I would like to…… hang out while you were gone. It was nice; he's a lot different when he isn't working."

_Ok, maybe Glen wasn't really our friend. _Why did the hesitation before Ivy described what Glen offered bother me? Should it bother me? _No._ Is it any of my business what Ivy does or does not do? _No._ Did I want to know what he actually offered? _No_. "What do you mean by 'hang out'?" _Okaaay, apparently I did want to know._

"Nothing really, we just met for coffee and whatnot and saw a couple of movies together." She still wasn't meeting my eye and for some reason it was really ticking me off. I mean, come on, it's not like they were sleeping together. Was it? And if they were, _why would that tick me off_? I had made it clear to her that she wasn't going to get it from me, I loved Ivy but I wasn't in love with Ivy. She was fully entitled to get it somewhere else. She was only human after all, er, well vampire, whatever.

"Are you sleeping with him?" _Oh geez Rachel, could you be any more smooth….or nosey?_ "Not that it's any of my business if you are, y-you don't have to tell me. I just thought that…." _Oh God, please don't tell me you're sleeping together._

Arching her eyebrow at me she suddenly lost her sheepishness and sat up straight. Meeting my gaze she said, "No Rachel, it isn't any of your business. You make it most definitely _not _your business every damn day. What is it to you if I_ am_ sleeping with him?"

"So you are then?" I asked, immediately hating myself for the quaver in my voice.

Rolling her eyes and blowing out her breath in an explosive puff she almost yelled, "Oh for the love of blood. No, Rachel, I'm not sleeping with him." She bit off each word and practically spat them at me. "I don't know why I'm even telling you this but it's the truth." Standing up fast enough to make her chair clatter to the floor, she stalked towards me and I saw that the ring of brown around her eyes was quickly shrinking. The Turn take it she was vamping out for the second time in an hour. Maybe I need to brush up on what not to do around your vampire roommate if you want to keep your throat un-opened.

Getting in my face she continued, "If I chose to move our relationship to that level, Glen has made it clear that he is open to that. I have chosen not to, though for the life of me right now I cannot remember why." Punctuating every 'you' with a finger in my chest she said, "_You_ know how I feel; _you_ know who it is that I want. And _you_ _know_ I am not ready to give up on that yet."

Forestalling any argument that I may have had she held up her hand for silence. "I am leaving now to go and meet Glen, I will be back in a few hours. Have your nap," she growled, "I'll be here when you wake up." Stalking out of the kitchen towards the sanctuary she looked over her shoulder to catch me standing there rubbing me chest with my mouth hanging open. The look she gave me was so full of pain and utter exhaustion that I felt my heart drop in my chest. "Don't forget to invite Jenks and his family for a movie tonight." The last said so softly I almost didn't hear it over the sound of the blood rushing in my ears.

Crap on toast but did I ever suck as a friend. _Stupid Witch, what had you been thinking?_ Ah, right, there was the answer. I wasn't, again. _Shocking. _All I wanted from Ivy was friendship wasn't it? Why couldn't I leave well enough alone? Why had my heart fluttered in my chest when she said they weren't sleeping together? As I heard the door to the sanctuary close I stumbled over to the center island. My quest for lunch forgotten as my stomach clenched. All I wanted was friendship…_right? _Too tired and mentally drained to even try to answer that question right now I pushed away from the counter and headed towards my room. I needed to sleep.

As I reached my door I suddenly remembered Ivy's parting words, "Don't forget to invite Jenks…."

"Jenks!!" Hollering through the church like a mad woman generally got immediate results and it didn't fail me this time. He showed up so fast that I probably hadn't needed to holler, he must have been listening to the whole exchange from another room. Stupid pixy hearing.

"Yeah, Rache?" He looked only slightly abashed when he realized I had figured it out. Whatever, it's not like Jenks eavesdropping on me was anything new. Hell, it was a habit that had saved my ass more than once.

"Will you and your family join us tonight for a movie?" I muttered, definitely _not_ excited about the impending awkward situation with Ivy.

"Sure Rache, just let us know when to come in and we'll be there." He was a good friend, he knew that I knew that I screwed up and he wasn't throwing it in my face. If anyone understood the push and pull between Ivy and I, it was Jenks.

"Thanks, Jenks. I really did miss you, you know."

Landing on my shoulder and patting my ear he said, "I know Rache. It'll be ok"

With that I went and fell onto my bed and hoped that sleep would take me to different, less confusing place, even if it was just for a little while.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: From Being Gone

Author(s): Lynders11

Fandom: The Hollows

Summary: Rachel leaves for two weeks to attend her brothers wedding and see her mom settled at her new place. What happens when she gets back after spending more time away from Ivy than ever before? This takes place after WWBC, so some spoilers are included

Disclaimer: All characters, and the world they are set in belong to Kim Harrison. I just wanted to write.

Notes: Thanks to Ablatedcrayon for the Beta and all your help. You're awesome!!

**CHAPTER 3**

Waking up in my own bed for the first time in two weeks was nothing short of spectacular. The first thing I registered upon waking was the feel of my _own _sheets against my skin. The familiar and comforting sounds and smells of my church came next. I was home. There would be no more waking up to Robbie telling me what was best for me. No more avoiding situations with Mom and Donald. Walking in on them kissing in Robbie's kitchen had been more than enough to make me want to just hide in my room for the rest of the visit. I mean really, that's just ....._Eww._

Laying there in my room I slowly allowed myself to drift closer to consciousness, reveling in the small experiences that I hadn't realized I had so badly missed while I was away. Once I was completely awake I was still reluctant to leave the comfort of my bed. Instead I tried to define the sounds and smells that were responsible for the near blissful state of familiarity that I was in. There was the sound of the pixies high musical chatter outside. God only knows what they were up to but at least their obvious joy was making me smile instead of causing anxiety. This was a marked improvement over the time when they moved in over the winter and Ivy and I had lived in fear that the next crash was going to be very expensive. I could hear Rex as her claws tapped their way down the hallway outside my door, her bell jingling out a faint melody all the way. The scratching sound coming from above was familiar already even though it was a fairly recent addition to life in the church; I knew it was Bis moving around in the attic.

Through the open window — a desperate attempt to get some air movement to relieve the suffocating heat — I could smell the garden and even make out a few of the more recognizable plants. The medley of perfumes on my dresser combined to give off an ever-changing yet somehow always familiar scent. My mouth started watering at the smell of the coffee brewing in the kitchen. _Coffee._ Just like that the relaxation I had been enjoying came crashing down around me. _Crap_. Coffee brewing meant Ivy was home.

Groaning into my pillow, I rolled over and tried to find the edge of the sheet so I could pull it over my head despite the heat that had already caused an uncomfortable and sticky sweat to break out all over my body. _Maybe we can go back to our pattern of pretending nothing happened._ Hey, one can hope. With her vampire senses Ivy probably knew I was waking up before I had. Laying there was just postponing the inevitable. _Dammit Rachel why couldn't you just leave well enough alone? You know, just be a _normal_ friend and gossip with her about Glen instead of suddenly getting all possessive. And what the _hellwas_ with me anyway? Why did it bother me that Ivy may have been seeing Glen? Cripes woman you have some thinking to do._

Self-realization would have to wait however. The most pressing need was apologizing to Ivy and hoping that this wasn't the thing that finally made her snap and give up on our friendship. _No, it couldn't have been_, I reasoned. Even as mad as Ivy had been she had been careful to assure me that she would be back, before storming out earlier. She just had to blow off some steam. _I hope._

Pushing the sheet to the bottom of the bed with my feet I laid there and tried to decide what to wear. As cool as it would keep me, going naked was out of the question. Not only would it set Ivy off but also Jenks would be unbearable with his taunts. Deciding on the shorts and tank top I had picked up during my trip I got up to rummage through my bags. Earlier, before stripping naked and climbing into bed, I had thrown everything into a heap on the floor. If Ivy hadn't known I was awake before she definitely would now with all the noise I was making.

Running fingers through my hair I stepped through my door and into the hallway. Rex padded up and rubbed against my leg on her way back into the kitchen. "Yeah, it's nice to see you too, Rex," I muttered as I followed her. Stopping in the doorway, I took in the scene before me. Ivy was sitting in her chair, sipping from a still-steaming mug. She was checking her emails...again. _Seriously, who gets that much email? _Looking closer I saw that she wasn't actually checking her mail; she was simply sitting there trying to look busy. Apparently if we were going to talk about what happened I was going to have to be the one to bring it up. _Maybe we _can_ just keep to our old patterns of ignoring the issue at hand. _"Ivy, I'm really sorry about earlier." _Or we could talk about it now I guess._ "It's none of my business who you do what with."

Stiffening ever so slightly at my apology Ivy replied, "Forgiven, let's just forget about it, ok?"

"But Ivy I—"

"Rachel, I mean it, just drop it, ok? Please?"

Eyes downcast I agreed, "Ok." I knew full well that she had let me off too easily. She usually did and every time I felt like more and more of an ass.

"Ok," she sighed. I regarded her as the word tumbled from her lips and could see some of the tension in her shoulders melt away. I realized that she had been as stressed out about this encounter as I had been. _Imagine that._

Giving her a shy grin, I walked past her to retrieve some of the coffee that had pulled me from my slumber. Once I had the coffee safely in hand with some of it warming its way down my throat I asked, "So do you still want to watch a movie with me and the," I waved a hand in the general direction of the kitchen screen, "pixie horde tonight?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. If the kids are coming to watch it will have to be a cartoon, I suppose." Her beautiful voice took on a tone of resignation that showed her obvious lack of enthusiasm at the prospect. I had to agree. As beautiful as Jenks' kids were when they were happy, watching a cartoon with them was...trying. However, I did want to immerse myself back into my home and the excited, fast, ear-shatteringly high-pitched chatter of happy pixie children was part of that home. They absolutely loved Disney cartoons. Dammit, we _would_ have to get a cartoon.

Sighing at the realization, I muttered, "I suppose we will. Maybe we can get two movies. One for all of us and then one for after the kids go to sleep?" I was still unsure if Ivy would want to spend that much time alone with me so I just left the question hanging there.

Not wanting to pressure her for an immediate response I turned to look through the kitchen screen into the churchyard beyond. I could see the pixies darting around back and forth. I couldn't tell if they were playing some sort of game or if Jenks had set them a task to do. It all looked like chaos to me. _I should really get out there and check in on my garden._ I knew that it was in great hands with Jenks and his family but nothing beat the feel of earth under my nails as I tended to the plants. I was an earth witch after all, and as such I found it indescribably peaceful to tend to almost anything that grew from the soil.

"I think I would like that too." She had taken so much time to answer that she startled me out of my reverie. When her words finally sank in, I felt the ball of tension in my stomach release and my shoulders relax. Despite my earlier reassurances to myself I had still been afraid that I had pushed her too far this time. Having her agree to spend time with just me gave me hope that maybe, just maybe I hadn't stepped too far past my boundaries to come back from. She was my best friend and I didn't know what I would do without her.

"Good, I'm glad," I said, and I couldn't help the goofy grin that was spreading across my face.

She looked over at me and smiled. Though it was a hopeful smile, I could still see the sadness that remained in her eyes. "It will be nice to spend some time with you again." She said softly. I was determined to not make an ass of myself tonight. As much as I wanted to just relax and immerse myself in the church I owed it to Ivy to fix this. I needed to make her smile.

"Yeah, I really missed hanging out with you while I was gone," I said seriously then brightened when an idea struck me, "Hey, when we go to get the movies do you want to take your bike?" Ivy was always happy when she was on her bike. She was terrifying to ride with, but it would make her happy.

She looked up at that, an almost evil grin spreading across her porcelain features. "You are willingly offering to ride on my bike? With me?" The chuckle that escaped her smiling lips as she shook her head gently back and forth made me wonder if I had just made a huge mistake.

"Um, yes? Maybe? As long as you were actually serious when you said I was forgiven anyway." I couldn't stop the nervous half chuckle that followed.

"No, no. You can't go putting stipulations on it now. I think taking my bike is a _great_ idea, Rachel." She practically purred my name, and I felt my knees go a little weak; the way she had stressed the word 'great' wasn't helping either. _She was just _trying_ to scare the crap out of me about the ride, right? Probably. Ah well, if this is her revenge so be it._ I couldn't stifle the shudder that ran through me at the thought that maybe she wasn't bluffing. Getting onto a bike with Ivy was scary enough, getting onto a bike with Ivy when she felt like a dishing out a little revenge? _Goddess protect me. _

I gave what I was sure was a sickly looking smile in response which just made her evil grin even bigger. I was becoming more and more certain that I was going to pay for my earlier idiocy on that ride. "Well, I'm going to, uh, play in the dirt for a bit." Despite my less than eloquent wording, I knew Ivy would know what I meant. "Shall we say…an hour and then we'll go?" _That's right Rache, buy yourself some time before climbing onto the death machine._

"Sounds good to me," she said, never losing the scary smile.

I rolled my eyes at her enthusiasm and groaned aloud. My theatrics had the desired effect; the grin on Ivy's face doubled in size and the gleam in her beautiful chocolate eyes brightened. The cool, unruffled, and confident Ivy was back, and that was exactly what I wanted. Shooting a smirk in her direction I headed down the hall to the back door, bypassing my shoes on the way.

As soon as I stepped foot in my garden the last of the tension that I hadn't even realized I had been holding onto, released. The last of the suns rays warmed my face as I made my way through the plot of tilled earth, carefully checking over the plants growing there. The feel of the soil between my toes and under my feet was glorious. It was warm on the top layer but the farther in I dug my toes the cooler and more refreshing it felt.

Reaching the center of the plot I knelt down and started pulling out the few weeds that had just started to sprout. I could feel the slight vibrations in the ground from passing cars and see the heat rippling off the statues and headstones. After some indeterminate amount of time I became aware of stiffness in my shoulders and lower back that signaled I had managed to lose myself in the garden for much longer than I had intended. Straightening up and brushing the dirt from my hands and knees I realized I still needed to talk to Jenks about the weird look he had shot me earlier.

"Didn't trust me to look after everything for you or what?"

Jumping slightly at the unexpected intrusion on my tranquility I said, "Turn it, Jenks, you know it's not like that at all." Turning my head to face him I saw a look on his face that belied the tone of his words and I smiled to soften my own words. He and his family were more skilled and competent gardeners than me or any witch I knew or had ever heard of.

"I know Rache. You've been out here for nearly two hours; I know it wasn't really for the sake of the plants." He said with a knowing look on his face. That's Jenks for you. One minute he was the biggest pain in the ass, and the next he was the loving father figure to us all. He always seemed to know what was going on inside my head, sometimes even before I did. Jenks was a constant in my life. I loved him dearly. _I will never admit it, though, he would just make some crude comment and pretend to barf. Besides, he already knows how much he means to us._

"So uh, when did you have any preferences for the movie tonight?" I asked, trying to change the topic. "Wait, did you say _two_ hours!? Shit, I gotta get cleaned up. So, any preferences?" walking hurriedly towards the back door I looked over my shoulder to see if Jenks was going to give a response or not. I had told Ivy that I would be ready in an hour. _Dammit, so much for not being an ass tonight_. When I saw him deep in thought I quickly added, "Do you want us to just look for a new cartoon?"

Relief flooded his features when he realized he wasn't going to have to be the one to suggest it. "Yeah, that would be great Rache. The kids love 'em."

Smiling I replied "Yeah, I know. Ok, we are headed out in a few minutes. When we get back just round everyone up and bring them in."

"Sounds good, see you soon." With a wave, he flew off, leaving a trail of sparkling pixy dust in his wake.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Being in the garden had definitely relaxed me. Digging my fingers into the soil had given me such a sudden release from my tension that I still felt somewhat light-headed and fuzzy. Unfortunately, realizing that I was an hour later than what I had told Ivy would be was starting to make me tense once again._ I really wanted to get through tonight without screwing up again, _I sighed to myself as I hurried through the back door.

"Ivy! Are you in here?" Leaving muddy footprints behind me, I dashed down the hall into the kitchen looking for any sign of Ivy. I saw her standing at the sink, rinsing out the coffee pot before placing it back on the now cool burner. I rushed to apologize before she could say anything about how late I was, "Ivy, I'm so sorry, I lost all track of time out there."

"Rachel, calm down, it's ok. Seriously, it's not like either of us have to head to bed anytime soon. What's an extra hour?" She smiled at me to show me the truth of her words. Standing there, looking at the smile on her face, I felt my breath catch in my throat. _God, she is beautiful._ She had her hair tied back showing off her long graceful neck. She wore a pair of comfortable jeans that hugged her just right and rode low on her hips. The black T-shirt that she wore was loose enough to be comfortable but fitted enough to show off her sleek torso. The shirt rode up just enough to show a glimpse of skin at her back as she reached over the sink to set our mugs back in the cupboard. She was the quintessential embodiment of casual comfort, but I could barely breathe from the beauty of her.

"Ivy," I breathed, surprising myself. I hadn't intended to speak.

Glancing away from what she was doing, she quirked a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me and said, "Yeah?" in a somewhat confused tone.

"Uh, noth…nothing. I was just going to say that I was sorry for taking so long out there."

"Rache you ok?" She sounded amused though still looked slightly confused. "You already apologized; I already said it was really ok. I came to see what was keeping you about a half hour ago, I saw that you were lost in your own little world so I just left you there. I figured you probably needed it and would come in when you were ready."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, garden was nice." _Come on Rache, full sentences, jeez. _Clearing my throat, I continued, "I mean, yes, it was really nice to get back into the garden. Robbie lives in a condo and he barely had potted herbs in his place, let alone a full garden like we have. I really missed it. The feel of the dirt between my toes and the sun on my face…" Realizing that I was now rambling I stopped then dropped my eyes and added, "I, uh, will just go get cleaned up and then we can take off. Kay?" I could feel the blush creeping up my neck. Soon my face would be brighter than my unruly hair.

"Sure, that's fine. Like I said, there's no real rush, I'll go get changed into my leathers and then find you the other helmet."

"Why do you need to change? You look beaut— er ah—good as you are. I don't think you should change." _When did I start thinking I had the right to tell Ivy what she should or shouldn't wear? When did I start caring about what Ivy wore? Come on, Brain wake up! It wasn't _that_ relaxing out there. _

Blushing profusely now I started to leave the kitchen when I heard, "Okaaay, I'll just grab the helmet and the jackets then." With a curious look in my direction she walked past me to head out to the sanctuary where I had stored the helmet. Her passage stirred the air leaving the smell of wood ash and incense in her wake. I found myself closing my eyes and smiling as I breathed her in. I leaned forward trying to catch more of her scent as she disappeared into her room and nearly stumbled.

Catching myself I opened my eyes and slowly blinked twice. _What the hell is going on with me? Damn vamp pheromones. _Even to my own ears that excuse sounded weak. Ivy had been relaxed and alone in the kitchen when I came in. She would have had no reason to pump enough pheromones to fill the room, and I hadn't gotten close enough to her to be affected by any she may have been giving off sub-consciously. Not until she walked past anyway. It wasn't the pheromones that had me going all can't-get-enough-of-everything-Ivy just now. _Then what was it?_ Again, self-realization would have to wait 'til later, right then I had to get cleaned up to go.

Walking into my room I saw Rex fast asleep right smack dab in the middle of my bed, nested in my tousled sheet. A floor board creaked underfoot and she raised her head giving me a _cant-you-see-I'm-sleeping-here _look. "Stupid cat, it's _my_ room," I said under my breath so she wouldn't get mad and leave. She was kinda cute, even when she was being bitchy.

"What's that?" I heard Ivy shout from the sanctuary.

"Nothing, I was just talking to Rex. Give me a minute; I'll be right out." Grabbing a face cloth and some clean clothes I ran to my bathroom to try and get most of the dirt off of me. I would need a shower before the show, but for right now I was in a hurry. I ran the cloth under the tap and used it to wash my hands, face, and arms as best I could. Once I finished I dropped my pants and stripped off my shirt and left them both to puddle on the floor. I could pick them up later. I quickly dressed again in a pair of jeans and a white long sleeved shirt before running out to the foyer to meet Ivy.

"You look good for someone that was covered in dirt five minutes ago." Ivy drawled as I slid on my leather riding jacket and accepted my helmet from her. She had bought them for me last Solstice in the hopes that I would ride with her again. I had thanked her but flatly refused to ever again get on her bike. The fact that I had suggested today's ride spoke volumes about how sorry I was for earlier.

"Don't I always?" I sassed with a grin on my face.

She smiled and turned to head outside. "Yes you do. Sometimes, even good enough to eat." She chuckled and my grin grew. A year ago, a comment like that would have sent me running for my splat gun. Now, I just found it amusing. This was smart-ass Ivy and I loved it when she got like this. It meant she was relaxed and happy, and I have to say it was exactly the mood I wanted her in before I got onto her damn bike.

I sighed and followed her out the door. There, on the sidewalk in front of our step was Ivy's baby. She must have had it detailed recently because even in the poor light of the setting sun it shone like it was in its own personal spotlight. The bike never failed to remind me of Ivy. Dark, gorgeous, powerful as all hell, and it was fully equipped with the ability to scare the crap out of me. It completely suited her. I so did not want to get on it.

She lifted the bike and swung the kickstand up before pushing it out onto the street. She made it look so easy. I knew that bike easily weighed twice my body weight. The one time I had no choice but to move it myself, I nearly fell over. With the feline grace that seemed to define Ivy, she settled the bike between her legs and motioned for me to hurry up and get on.

"So you're sure I'm forgiven, right?" I asked before swinging my leg over and leaning back so she could finish settling herself in front of me.

"Scared Rache?" Her visor was down, but I could tell she was laughing at me.

"Yeah, actually, I am. A little. Not all of us get a second chance at this whole life thing ya know."

"I would never hurt you. You know that." I could still hear the barely suppressed laughter in her voice, and I could just imagine the mock-serious face she was trying to pull off.

"Ya, I know that but I also know that you aren't above trying to make me pee my pants either. Just because you have amazing reflexes and can dodge practically everything doesn't mean the guy behind us does. Or beside us, or in front of us." I whined, trying to get her to promise me a tame ride. I knew it wouldn't work but I had to try.

I felt the bike rumble to life beneath me and gasped in spite of myself. She flipped her visor up and leaned to the side so she could see me. "Remember to hang on tight, Rache and you will be juuuuust fine. I promise." With that, she winked at me, closed her visor, clicked something on my helmet and gunned the engine. I threw my arms around her and held on with a strength borne of fear and desperation only seconds before she popped the clutch, and we shot off at break-neck speeds.

I closed my eyes as soon as I felt the bike lurch into motion. Quickly realizing that having that this was only making my fear worse, I opened them. I was immediately confused by what I saw. The world seemed to be on a tilt. Carefully peeking around Ivy, never once loosening my vise-like grip on her, I saw why. When she popped the clutch, she sent the front tire into the air and caused the bike to catwalk. I didn't think it was possible but my vise-like grip tightened, becoming something more of a death grip and I felt Ivy stiffen as if I had caused her pain. I was too scared to care if I was holding on too tight and soon she eased up on the throttle and let the front tire return to the ground. Where it belonged.

Coming down from the catwalk was nearly as bad as realizing we were doing one. The front tire slammed down driving my helmet into Ivy's back. _Serves her right, I'm not going to apologize, and I don't care if I'm being petty. Besides, she would never hear me over the bike and the wind anyway. Does she really have to drive this fast? I mean really, she accuses _me_ of being the adrenaline junky? This is just too much. Oh god, I think I might be sick. I really don't want to throw up in my helmet._

Desperately trying to quell my fear, or at least get some kind of grip on it so that I could settle my stomach, I concentrated very hard on my breathing and on Ivy. Solid, dependable, protective Ivy. She wouldn't let anything happen to me._ Breathe in one, two, three. Breathe out one, two, three. _Ivy made me feel safe. I mean, she still scared me sometimes, but more often than not, she is the one I turn to when I need to feel safe. _Breathe in one, two, three. Breathe out one, two, three. _Being here this close to her, I should be able to capture some of that feeling, despite the fact that we were flying down the road far to close to other vehicles and……_Was that a mailbox? Ok, ok just breathe in one, two, three. Breathe out one, two, three. Just focus on Ivy, Rache, and you will get through this. Remember her smile when you suggested the ride? It was radiant, and even with its hint of evil, it was still beautiful. Focus on that, focus on Ivy._

Ivy had relaxed since I had made myself loosen my grip and was obviously enjoying the ride. I think she had moved past the whole let's-scare-the-bejeezus-out-of-Rachel part of the trip and was now just losing herself in the feel of her bike. I could feel the muscles of her back bunch and stretch against my chest as she steered around obstacles and her legs shift against the insides of my thighs as she occasionally adjusted slightly for balance. I kept my helmeted head against her back, just between her shoulder blades and if I concentrated hard enough I could block out the peripheral images of the things we were rushing past. _Breathe in one, two, three. Breathe out one, two, three. _It had become my mantra but I was starting to relax enough that it was becoming more of a background music than a chant in my head now as I began to convince myself I was safe, wrapped around Ivy.

_Breathe in one, two, three. Breathe out one, two, three. _Despite the circumstances, I was enjoying being able to be this close to Ivy. She generally kept herself at such a distance. Not just physically but emotionally too. She loved to ride, and I was extremely pleased that I got to share something with her that brought her so much joy. _Even if it ends up making me pee myself. Oh, wouldn't she find that endlessly amusing. She would tell Jenks and then I would never live it down. Nope, not going to let myself lose it, that's all there is to it. _I wished we could touch more often. A hand on a shoulder in support or a hug for reassurance and comfort would be more than welcome. She wouldn't allow it though. _When I touch her she runs. If I manage to hug her, she goes stiff as a board and then runs when I let her go. I really wish we could touch more_.

When I was curled into a ball on the kitchen floor in pain and shame, all I wanted was for her to come and hold me and make everything better. To let me know that she didn't think I was foul and dirty for the things that I had, _had_ to do. I could really get used to being this close to Ivy. My mind flashed to the one instance I had let myself briefly fantasize about moving our relationship to the level Ivy wanted. Now, I wondered again at what it would be like to crawl into bed with her or wake up beside her. She would be beautiful, I was sure of it.

_What would it be like to walk into my bedroom and pull back the sheets to find her there sleeping peacefully? She would roll over and look at me sleepily, and then a smile would light up her face. The one that is so full of hope and happiness and sheer joy. The one that makes my heart stop in my chest every time I get even the slightest hint of it beamed in my direction. What would it be like to lay down next to her, have her wrap her arms around me so that I could curl into her chest and sleep in a warm, loving embrace. She feels for me like none of the men I have ever dated did. She truly loves me. What would it be like to lay with someone that truly, unabashedly loves me the way she does? What would it be like to feel her strong arms wrapped around me and her porcelain smooth skin against my own? To feel the warmth of her body pressed against mine and the heat of her breath stirring my hair? To feel her lips as they pressed against my forehead in a sleepy greeting?_ _It would feel like coming home from being gone too long. It would feel like heaven. It would feel like happiness. _

I moaned Ivy's name aloud at the feelings my thoughts were creating in me. There was a tightening low in my stomach and a sudden feeling of breathlessness. I was now doubly glad for the noise of the engine and the wind. I was glad that the slight tightening of my arms and the pounding of my heart could be explained by my obvious fear of the ride. _Shockingly enough the ride isn't what is scaring me anymore, now it's my own thoughts._ Suddenly I could hear her voice as if she were inside my head. "Rache? You ok?" _What the hell? Why can I hear her so clearly?_

"Why can I hear you so clearly?" I shouted and felt her wince in my arms.

"You don't need to yell Rachel, there are microphones and speakers in the helmets so we can talk." _Oh God, she heard the moan_. And it had been a moan, not a groan—big difference there. _Oh God, it wasn't just a moan; I had said her name_. All of the feelings I had been having were in those two syllables. Apparently I wasn't as safe in my own thoughts as I had assumed.

"Oh. Uh, ok." I said at a closer to normal volume. "Yeah, I'm fine. I, uh, think I may be getting some motion sickness is all. Sorry I didn't realize you could hear me. I will be fine in a minute."

"Ok." She sounded unsure—like she thought that I was lying but couldn't prove it.

_What is going on with me? Ivy is my friend, why was I just fantasizing about lying in bed with her? Am I really starting to see her as more than just a friend? Do I want more with her than what I have? _If so, then I would have to be sure before I do anything about it. It would be cruel to use Ivy as an experiment, or to try something out that I wasn't completely sure about. I did love her. She was my best friend, and I did love her. _Yes, but are you now_ in _love with her?_

"We're here." Ivy said into my ear, startling me out of my reverie. I sighed because yet again, self-realization would have to wait. Right now I needed to be 'normal Rachel' and go pick out a movie with Ivy. _And a cartoon_, I sighed again; _it's going to be a long night._


	5. Chapter 5

Title: From Being Gone

Author: lynders11

Fandom: The Hollows

Summary: Rachel leaves for two weeks to attend her brothers wedding and see her mom settled at her new place. What happens when she gets back after spending more time away from Ivy than ever before? This takes place after WWBC, so some spoilers are included

Disclaimer: All characters, and the world they are set in belong to Kim Harrison. I just wanted to write.

Notes: Thanks to Ablatedcrayon for the Beta and all your help. As always you're awesome!! I hope the additions I made before posting clears up some of the questions you had about this chapter.

**CHAPTER 5**

I waited until Ivy had the bike stopped and both of her feet firmly on the ground before releasing my hold on her. I may have started to relax, or rather, daydream, through the last part of the ride but my grip had never really loosened up. _Ha!_ _See, I do have survival instincts, _I thought as I mentally stuck my tongue out at Ivy.

Ivy hopped off the bike just after I did and I watched in fascination as she practically hopped in place. I wasn't sure what had her so wound up but upon seeing her expression as she took off her helmet I could tell she was in a good mood. The grin that was plastered across her face was radiant. She looked like an excited child that was being made to wait in line at a candy store. I laughed; she was kinda cute. _Since I like my body parts all attached I will never say that to her though._

"What's up with you?" I joked as I rested my helmet on the seat of her bike. "You're starting to look like one of Jenks' kids when they are waiting for a prank to start." I couldn't help but laugh at her antics. She had literally started bouncing. I had never seen Ivy act like that, and her mood was rubbing off on me.

"Nothing is up with me. That was just really fun don't you think? It's nice to get out and do something together like _that_." She was still vibrating in place with what looked like unbridled joy.

Brow furrowing at the over-exuberant if slightly confusing statement I replied, "Er, yeah. It was _great_ fun," sarcasm practically dripped from the words, "I'm glad you enjoyed it so much but how about—just to mix it up a little on the way home—I drive?" I was joking of course; I knew she wouldn't trust anyone else with her baby. Besides, if it made her this happy, I couldn't begrudge her the short amount of time it would take us to ride home again. _I will just have to remember to keep my thoughts to myself this time is all._

"Sure! Sounds good." My jaw dropped and her smile grew even bigger. _Well that was unexpected_. I couldn't drive her bike. Sure, she scared the crap out of me, but I couldn't deny that she knew how to handle it at least. I didn't even know how to start the damn thing. Deciding that she must just be humoring me, I gave her a non-committal shrug and headed towards the doors of the rental shop, a place called 'Movie Magic'.

"Did you eat too many of your Special-K cookies today or something?" I laughed, as we entered the store together; I knew full well that Ivy only used medicinal-grade brimstone. She helped to bring down the people who moved the cheaper, mind-altering, unrefined drug after all. "I can't believe that you even _jokingly_ agreed to let me drive your bike."

She beamed at me. "Who said I was joking?"

"Ok Ivy, whatever tickles your fancy," I humored her as I shook my head with a laugh.

"Oh Rachel, if only," she shot me a saucy look that I am sure she meant as sultry but came off definitely not sultry since she couldn't keep the goofy grin off her face.

Giving her a smack on the arm I said, "You know the sun is still up right? You aren't quite able to pull off vampire seductress extraordinaire just yet." Normally Ivy could pull off whatever she wanted to but something had her in too playful of a mood this evening.

"Oh really?" She asked, arching one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. I still hadn't learned how to do that. "Well maybe these are just my new mov—" She burst out laughing, unable to finish her own ridiculous sentence _and_ keep a straight face.

"Yeah, I'm sure the 'I'm a goofy, grinning, not brooding, vampire' look works wonders for you. I bet you get _allll_ the girls with that one," I deadpanned.

Still grinning, she looked past me to the selection of movies. I groaned aloud when I realized we had stopped in the children's section of the store. "Right, cartoon," I grumbled halfheartedly. "Jenks just said to find a new one; he didn't give a specific title."

"Hmmm," Ivy replied. "At least we won't have to watch Tinkerbelle again," she cajoled.

I grinned at that. I don't think I could ever watch the little Hollywood pixy ever again; Jenks had ruined her for me forever. We had watched 'Hook' a few months ago and even Matalina had looked scandalized at some of the phrases that had spewed from Jenks' mouth. "Hey! I heard the second Shrek was actually kind of funny. I didn't mind the first one. There was lots of adult humor for us, fight scenes for Jenks, animation for the kids…It's not a new release but we haven't seen it before."

She smiled down at me, and I could help smiling back. _She's so beautiful when she's like this._ Pushing those thoughts from my mind I raised (both of) my eyebrows at her. "Whaddya think?"

"The first one was tolerable; I think I can deal with a sequel," she agreed.

Relieved to have that part of our mission accomplished, I moved to pick up one of the several remaining copies. "Cool, now let's find ourselves something good. What are you in the mood for?"

She grinned lasciviously at me and winked. I rolled my eyes and smacked her arm again. "Stop it," I growled, though I couldn't keep the smirk from my face. "What kind of _movie_ are you in the mood for?" I corrected. _God, she's in a dorky mood._ "God, you're in a dorky mood."

Rubbing her arm in an exaggerated show of pain she shrugged. "I'm easy." She grinned pointedly at me again. "Just find something you want to see." I rolled my eyes and went in search of a movie.

I stood on the tips of my toes to try and see over the racks of movies to the 'new releases' section. Ivy brushed past me, steadying me with a hand at the small of my back. "This way, little one." I looked to the heavens as if praying for patience and blew my breath out in mock exasperation, "I am _not_ little. You being freakishly tall does _not_ make me little." I put little quotey quotey marks around the word little and she laughed again. _I'm 5'8", that puts me taller than the average woman. Yeah, she's a head taller than I am, but so what. Stupid vampires and their virus enhanced…everythings. _

Following her through the store I pondered what kind of _movie_ – I mentally stuck my tongue out at Ivy again - I was in the mood for. We knew that neither suspense nor horror movies went well with the two of us. We both loved them, but we would have to watch from separate rooms. My reactions played on her instincts too much. _We sure learned that one the hard way. _

_Ok, horror and suspense out. Comedy—maybe. Action—better but can be iffy. Love story—not in the mood. Documentary—definite no. Porn—yeah right; I'm sure my reactions to _that_ wouldn't affect Ivy _at all_. _"How about a comedy or a low key action," I suggested to her retreating back.

"Whatever floats your boat."

"Come on Ivy, have an opinion." I whined at her.

"I will; I'm just waiting 'til we actually start choosing movies rather than just genres."

_Oh, well I guess I can deal with that. I hate it when she makes me make all the decisions. _Looking over the selections available, I narrowed my choices down. "Ok, here are my nominations: 'He's just not that into you', '17 again', 'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past', 'Star Trek', 'Fast and Furious', 'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist or… 'Observe and report'".

Turning to see what she thought, I realized she was laughing at me. "What _now_?"

"Star Trek? Seriously Rache? Do I_ look_ like a trekkie to you? How would I keep up my brooding vampire image?" She was full-out laughing at me now, and I could feel a blush creeping up my cheeks again.

"Shut up. It's supposed to be really good." I muttered. Sure, not all of the Star Trek movies had been great, but they were still worth watching—for the most part anyway. I liked Star Trek. "Besides, I think we have more than established that you are not worried about your brooding vampire image today. You've been a total dork since we got off your bike." I laughed at her. I couldn't be mad. Not when she was laughing like that. _She has the most beautiful laugh_, I noticed for what must have been the thousandth time since we moved in together.

That seemed to sober her somewhat, and she tried again to put up her 'dark and mysterious' front. Tried and failed that is. She lasted only a few seconds before her lip started to quiver under the strain of not laughing. Throwing my hands in the air I said, "Fine then, _you_ pick one!"

She took a few moments to settle herself and then answered, "Not all of your suggestions were laughable." smirking she continued, "I would say either—."

A small ripple went through Ivy, and her eyes briefly fluttered shut, "—'Nick and Norah's' or "He's just not that into you'," she finished, slightly breathless but otherwise gave no indications that something occurred.

"The sun just went down, huh?" She nodded, already looking back to the shelves.

Moving on I considered the options she gave me. "I can't decide between the two." I finally said. The ripple effect, as I had started thinking of it as, was a daily occurrence and didn't warrant that much attention. I wasn't always there to see it but I was always well aware of it. Ivy became more vampire-y once the sun was down. She was still the same Ivy but once the sun was down she had to make a conscious effort at things like keeping her movements at a normal speed or her voice at a normal tone. The sun going down wasn't an automatic indicator that she was going to rip out anyone's throat, it just meant her urges were stronger and her instincts came more into play.

"Put them behind your back and mix them up. We'll pick it randomly," she reasoned.

"Makes sense," handing her the copy of Shrek I pulled the other two of the shelf and mixed them out of her sight behind my back, "Ok, which hand?"

She stepped into my space— close enough that there was a bare inch between us— and reached around my left side. She ran her hand down my left arm, sending tingling jolts through me. Taking hold of the case that was in that hand she pulled it from my fingers. _She smells so good. _Giving myself a mental shake I stepped a few paces back from her. "You know Ivy, just because the sun has gone down doesn't mean that you now have to prove that you actually _can_ pull off vampire seductress extraordinaire," I referred back to our earlier conversation.

"Sorry Rachel," she said meekly, all the while looking anything but meek or sorry. She had her sex walking look back on though I could tell she was still hamming it up for my benefit. Yup, the sun going down didn't mean much tonight. She was still a dork. _Now she just had more uh… practiced ways to express her dorkiness. _

"Ugh, stop it," laughing, I started to turn from her. I saw her drop the sex eyes and flash me a good humored smile. I nodded my head slightly in her direction then continued toward the check out counter. Over my shoulder I said, "So what did we get?"

"Um, Nick and Norah's," she replied.

"Cool, I've been wanting to see that one."

"Me too."

As we neared the check-out counter the cashier looked up at us. "You're Rachel Morgan."

I saw Ivy stiffen slightly beside me but didn't pay it much attention. Not thinking I smiled my best smile and replied, "The one and only, do you want an autograph?" Apparently Ivy's goofy mood was still holding sway over me as I generally didn't offer things like that. I mean really, who would want them?

"No actually, I want you to put down the movies and get the hell out of my store."

"What the hell? I just want—," then I realized what he meant. He was a witch, this was his store. I was shunned and was not wanted anywhere near 'decent folk'. Sighing I heard a low, rumbling growl from beside me. "Ivy, it's ok, lets just—."

"You ignorant little cookie," she hissed venomously, "what gives you the right to treat her like that? She is a good woman and has had to do some pretty dangerous things to keep _precious little snacks_ like YOU safe from the big bad uglies like ME." She punctuated her statement by reaching over and dragging the now petrified clerk half over the counter. Her eyes were bleeding to black and her lips were pulled back to show her fangs. _Shit. _Ignoring the tightening in my stomach that her fangs had caused in me I laid my hand on her arm. Not the smartest thing to do but I needed to get her attention off the clerk and onto me.

She turned to look at me and I felt my throat constrict and my knees nearly buckle as the wave of pheromones she was pumping out, hit me. I gasped for air. She was pissed and she was pulling an aura. _So I was wrong, the sun going down did pose some extra problems tonight_. Fortunately she wasn't an undead so she couldn't bespell the unwilling. Unfortunately that wasn't what she was trying to do. She was using her aura to instill heart-stopping fear; she wanted the clerk to beg for his life. _Never a good way to earn a lifetime membership to the movie of the week club. _"Ivy, please calm down. It's ok. He really isn't worth it. No, I'm not a demon summoner but they all think I am, and you eating him isn't going to change that." I couldn't help scaring him a little too. "Let him go, Ivy."

"You wanted to watch a movie tonight. We are going to watch a movie tonight," she growled out between clenched teeth. Her eyes were like black pools, promising endless hurt in their depths.

"Come on Ivy, you don't want to do this." Gently pulling on her arm I continued talking in a soothing voice. "We can go somewhere else, somewhere where they aren't so narrow-minded. Somewhere where the proprietor thinks for themselves and doesn't just accept someone else's opinion," with that I shot a glare at the clerk. "Come on Ivy."

I watched as the pools of black shrunk and I could see the chocolate brown return to her eyes. She blinked and then nodded. It was a bit longer until she released the hold she had on the terrified mans shirt and pushed him away. I couldn't help but be slightly flattered at how she was defending my honor. I didn't dwell on it too long because then the knowledge that it was mainly her instincts driving her would surface. Somewhere, buried deep in her sub-conscious she still felt that I belonged to her and that she had to protect her territory. I didn't want to cheapen the feeling of gratitude I was experiencing because of something that neither she nor I could control. It would just make me angry so I chose not to dwell on it at all.

Seeing her release the man I breathed a sigh of relief. It was moments like these that I was glad Ivy saw me as the dominant one in our relationship. It helped to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. "Good, now let's go." Sliding my hand down her arm I grabbed her hand and led her out of the store. I looked back once to see the clerk slumped in his chair, shaking hard enough to rattle his teeth in his head. I've noticed that to be the most common reaction to a run in with my angry Tamwood vampire. _At least he had the sense to shut the hell up once she lost it; they just make it so much harder when they try to be threatening in return._

"Are you ok?" I asked once we got back to her bike. She was hanging her head and I wasn't sure what she was feeling. She was avoiding looking at me. "Ivy?"

I felt her squeeze my hand and realized I was still hanging onto hers. I could feel her start to shake and I was pretty sure her goofy mood was done for the night. "Are you ok?" I repeated, not letting go. "Please look at me." I ducked my head to try and see her face.

At that she looked up. Her eyes were still brown but they were blazing with a fierce light. Her lips were pressed into a tight line and her body shook with barely contained anger. She looked like a wronged goddess preparing to hand down retribution. My heart clenched in my chest, she was absolutely captivating. "They can't treat you like that! You didn't do anything wrong. Two months ago they were all clamoring to be closer to you and now they treat you like this!?" she was yelling, and I still couldn't bring myself to look away. She took a deep breath and added in a lower though no less menacing voice, "It's wrong and I won't stand for it."

That shook me out of my daze, "Ivy, there is nothing you can do. You can't change their minds. Even if I manage to convince the council to lift the shunning, there will always be those who will act like this."

"It's not right, Rachel, you only did what you had to do."

"I know, believe me I know, but this is just the way it has to be for now. C'mon, let's go to another store and this time you just run in and pick up the movies. We can still have our movie night. Relax Ivy. You can help me petition the council. There will be a lot of letters and different things that you can color code and help me organize. Please Ivy, let's just go?"

"You want me to help you?" _I knew that appealing to her OCD side would get her attention. _

"I don't think I could make much of a case without you." I smiled and her, and she returned it hesitantly.

"Ok," she agreed. Then, after a moment she smirked at me.

"What?" I asked, confused by the sudden change in her expression.

Giving my hand a gentle squeeze she arched her eyebrow at me again. "Oh! Right."

I released her hand and stepped back so she could get on the bike. I quickly put my helmet on to cover the blush creeping up my neck. _How old am I? How many times in a day can I possibly blush? _Getting onto the bike I once again wrapped my arms around her waist and hung on for dear life. _Here we go again._

Fifteen minutes later we pulled into another parking lot and I unkinked my hands from her jacket. This ride was way worse than the first one. Ivy apparently had some tension to release and it had made her revenge ride look like a walk in the park by comparison.

"I will be right back out, try to breathe." She laughed as she strolled into the store. I decided to keep my helmet on in case the clerk at this place recognized me through the windows. _Maybe I _will_ try to convince her to let me drive on the way back, I don't think I can handle another trip like that, regardless of how much Ivy enjoys it. _We were in a fairly quiet part of town and I knew a way to get home from here that would keep us in low traffic areas.

Hearing a bell jingle I looked up to see Ivy walking toward me with bag in hand. _Thank god, I don't think I had it in me to talk her down again. _I stood up, still straddling the bike as she stored the movies in a compartment under the seat. When she motioned for me to move back so she could get on I shook my head and raised my visor. "What happened to me driving?" I asked sweetly, trying to win her over with my charm.

Just like that, her evil grin from earlier was back in place, "You think you're up for it?" she dared.

"I think I am up for living through another ride on this thing." I shot back, chuckling to soften my words.

"Alright, you drive." I could feel my eyes widen. I never thought she would actually let me. _Great, now I'm nervous for another reason. What if I break her baby? What if I am more dangerous than she is?_

"Oh, uh…ok. You're gonna have to teach me." I stuttered.

"Oh Rachel, you have no idea how long I have waited to hear you say those words to me," she was back to grinning lasciviously at me. _Oh well at least she is back in a good mood, _I though to myself. Out loud, however, I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"We are back to this are we?" Raising my eyebrows at her again, I tried to look exasperated. I was sure I failed since her hint of teaching me how to please a woman had me momentarily flustered. "I meant you are going to have to teach me to drive your bike because I have never driven one before." I pronounced each word slowly so she wouldn't miss or misinterpret any of them.

"Ok fine," she put on a fake pout then moved around to the other side of the bike. She took a few minutes and explained the basic principles to me and then pointed out the different controls. When she finished she looked at me and asked if I remembered everything.

I refrained from rolling my eyes at her again. She was in teacher mode and it would just earn me a disapproving scowl. "This is the brake, this is the other brake, the clutch, the gas and this thing is what I use to change gears. I got it. Let's go!" Now that she had agreed I was starting to actually get excited about the ride and was eager to be off.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: From Being Gone

Author: lynders11

Fandom: The Hollows

Summary: Rachel leaves for two weeks to attend her brothers wedding and see her mom settled at her new place. What happens when she gets back after spending more time away from Ivy than ever before? This takes place after WWBC, so some spoilers are included

Disclaimer: All characters and the world they are set in belong to Kim Harrison. I just wanted to write.

Notes: Thanks to Ablatedcrayon for checking this over for me. Your suggestions are awesome and much appreciated.

**CHAPTER 6**

"So did I get the controls right?" I asked, resettling myself on the bike and looking up at Ivy. I really wanted to get home. The sun going down had only slightly lessened the oppressive heat that was gripping the city. It wasn't so bad wearing the leather jacket and the long sleeve shirt when we were moving at God-knows-how-fast but just sitting here was making me sweat. Even if I hadn't been playing in the garden before we left I would still have needed another shower by the time we got home.

Nodding distractedly, Ivy took a step back and just looked at me. I could feel her eyes roving over me as she stood there, her helmet trailing from her fingertips like it weighed nothing at all.

"What are you staring at?" She was making me self-conscious. "Did I really screw them up that badly?"

"What? Oh, the controls. No, you got them right. You're a quick study," she said, still staring at me with a far off look in her chocolate eyes.

"Then do you mind?" She looked up and gave me a confused blink. "Can we go please?" I rephrased.

"You know, a bike suits you. You look…good."

"Oh," I said distractedly, "well, thanks, but I think it suits you more."_ You know, with the leather and all…_

I sighed to myself as I realized my thoughts were once again getting away from me. It seemed putting off my self-realization wasn't going to work for much longer. I was going to have to figure out what was going on with me very soon. First though, I needed to get out of this heat.

"Anyway, as great as that was to hear, could you please get on so we could go already? Please, Ivy." I was whining, and I knew it. Normally I would be disgusted with myself, but it was so incredibly _hot_ out that I forgave my lapse immediately.

Smirking at my whine, she nodded once again before putting her helmet on and sitting behind me on the bike. This time, when I felt her click something on my helmet, I knew full well what it was. _Damn speakers. _I was thankful for the visor on my helmet as I felt my cheeks start to redden — again — at the thought of Ivy overhearing my moan earlier.

Once she was settled comfortably I heard her voice over the system. "Alright Rache, if you think you're ready then start her up."

Grinning I said, "Oh I'm ready, but are you? You do realize that you're willingly giving me control of your 'baby', right?"

Using her greater height to reach around me, she grasped the handles firmly, "Believe me Rachel, I may let you take the lead but I am still _very much_ in control." Her voice had dropped until it practically rumbled through her chest leaving me scrambling to suppress the shivers running down my spine. Straightening up, her voice went back to normal as she playfully shoved my arm and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I realize what I'm giving you. I thought you were too warm? Let's go already," she mimicked in a high falsetto.

Shaking off my earlier reaction I laughed as I engaged the clutch and the brake before starting the bike. "Ready?" I shouted back as I felt the bike rumble to life beneath me. The vibrations from the handle bars travelled up my arms and into my body. I couldn't help the smile that broke out across my face at the feeling of the machine under me.

My stomach was doing summersaults, and my breath was coming faster than usual. I was nervous about what I was about to do—maybe even a little scared—but I was going to savor the moment. I was an adrenaline junkie. I lived for this feeling. "Hang on." I told Ivy as I shifted the bike into gear and released the brake.

As I felt her arms slide around me I thought nothing could be more perfect than this. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as a feeling of absolute freedom washed over me. I felt amazing. I couldn't remember the last time a run had given me this big of a rush. I felt incredible. I felt invincible. I felt like there was nothing and no one that could stop me from doing whatever I wanted to as I slowly released the clutch…

…except apparently myself. "What did I do wrong?" I asked Ivy after I felt the bike lurch forward and then shudder to a stop when the engine died. The adrenaline and feelings of invincibility washed out of me as fast as they had come.

"You stalled it," she dead panned. I breathed a sigh of relief that there was to be no screaming or freaking out at my treatment of her bike.

"Oh." Silence. "How did I do that?" I asked, feeling dumb.

"It's basically the same as the stick shift in your car. The pedals are in different places but the concept is the same. When you stall your car, what have you done wrong?" She still sounded calm. Actually, she sounded like teacher-Ivy again. Asking me a question that when answered would help me figure out for myself the answer to the question I had asked. I sighed again. _Right, well_ _I guess teacher-Ivy is better than pissed-Ivy._

"I let out the clutch too fast, or I don't give it enough gas as I let out the clutch." I sounded like a despondent child. _Good lord woman it's not the end of the world; stop pouting. _

"Exactly. In this case it was just not enough gas." She had raised her visor as she explained what I needed to change for my next attempt at the bike. She gave me an encouraging smile that I couldn't help but return before lowering her visor and once again wrapping her arms around my waist.

Settling myself again I restarted the bike. _Ok this time concentrate on what you're doing Rachel. Don't let yourself get so carried away on the adrenaline._ Being sure to focus on what I was doing, I eased the clutch out at the same time as I gently twisted the throttle. This time the bike stayed running, and I felt a huge grin break out across my face. "I did it!" I shouted. It wasn't until I felt Ivy wince against my back that I remembered the microphones.

"Sorry," I whispered as if to make up for my earlier exuberance.

I could hear her chuckling in my ear as she straightened up a bit so she could see over me to give me tips on handling the bike and any situations that might arise.

Not wanting to get in over my head—ok I was lying to myself, I simply didn't want to break Ivy's bike—I eased onto the street and into traffic.

"You're doing great! When the engine pitch gets to about this level it means it's time to shift up. You remember how, right?" There was no way she could see the tachometer on the dash but I believed her. Ivy's bike was an extension of herself. She could probably drive it in her sleep.

"Clutch in, foot pedal up, gas and clutch out." I recited as I went through the process. A bit of a jerk from the bike letting me know I had given a little too much gas.

"Sorry," I muttered again.

"Rachel, it's ok. You don't need to apologize every time it's not perfectly smooth. That takes practice. A few more times out and you'll be as good as me."

"I highly doubt that. Thanks though."

The trip home was surprisingly tame. I stalled it a few more times and received glares and horn blares from my fellow motorists, but all in all it was uneventful. As I parked the bike I ran through my mental checklist. _No damage to Ivy's bike? Check._ _All limbs intact? Check. No skin missing? Check. Got home without having myself scared stupid? Check. _I grinned, allowing my excitement to come bubbling to the surface.

"That was soo cool! Thank you, Ivy, I had so much fun. That was so awesome." I couldn't help it. I was acting like an overexcited child as I got off the bike. I did a little jig right there in the car port as Ivy watched on, amusement clear on her face.

"Well then maybe the next time we do this, you'll actually get through all the gears," she teased. That stilled my erratic dance but couldn't touch the smile still plastered across my face.

"I think it'll be a few more trips before I'm ready for that." Despite Ivy's constant urgings every time we ended up on an empty street, I hadn't had the nerve to try out the top gear. I kept the speed down even though—_or maybe because_— I was pretty sure it drove Ivy crazy with impatience. Regardless of the reason, I knew I wasn't ready for all out racing.

"We'll see," she said, turning to wink at me conspiratorially. I groaned. Her wink was clearly saying that until I terrified myself on her bike she wasn't about to let it rest.

Hanging up my jacket I proceeded through the sanctuary to the couch and dropped myself into it. It wasn't nearly as stifling in the church as it was outside, but it was still hot. I plucked at the front of my long sleeve shirt where it was stuck to me from the heat.

"Oh thank Tink, you're home." Jenks came zooming into the sanctuary. There was a resounding crash from somewhere behind him and he whirled in mid-air even as he took in a huge (for a pixy) lungful of air.

"TINK'S KNICKERS! I SAID WAIT OUTSIDE! THERE IS NO DAMN NEED FOR SEVERAL DOZEN PIXY CHILDREN TO BE OUT IN THIS KIND OF WEATHER! GET BACK TO THE FAIRY-LOVIN STUMP WHERE IT'S COOL!" He shouted and was followed by a chorus of tiny voices saying things like "Sorry Dad" and "I didn't do it".

Turning back around he let himself deflate. "Please tell me you got a cartoon. They have been impossible since they found out we were _all_ invited to watch with you." We both nodded, biting our lips to hold in the laughter threatening to burst out at the sight of the frazzled pixie. Relief washed over him. "Thank you," he breathed. As he turned to fly away we could hear, "Damn kids. They have ears everywhere. Never get a moment of privacy with them all stuck in the stump like this. How is a man …?" I couldn't hear the rest of what he said; though by the look on Ivy's face it was definitely something that was not meant for children's ears.

"Poor, Jenks." She smirked. "He's had almost no time _alone_ with Matalina since this heat wave started. I think it's starting to get to him. It can't be easy having that many bodies tucked into one stump for the majority of the day." I laughed at the twinkle in her eye. She didn't actually feel sorry for him at all.

"Well I guess we should go see how expensive the crash was this time." Sighing, I rolled myself off the couch and headed towards the kitchen. My stomach growled loudly as I entered my favorite room in the church, reminding me that I had skipped lunch and hadn't eaten anything in…well, a long time anyway.

"Didn't you eat before your nap?" Ivy asked, coming up behind me without a sound.

"No." I was too embarrassed to be startled. I hadn't eaten because after our fight that afternoon I had lost my appetite. "I just went to bed after our fi—after you left today."

Immediately catching onto what I was about to say, Ivy's expression darkened momentarily. "Right, ok well why don't you go hop in the shower, and I'll order some take out. It's too hot to cook tonight."

Relieved at her change of topic and definitely interested in the prospect of food, I forced all thoughts of our fight from my head. "You might actually be the most wonderful person I know," I said to her.

"Well of course I am. Don't get too used to it though. I'm sure the novelty of you being back in the church will wear off soon enough and then I'll be right back to my usual brooding self."

Rolling my eyes, I headed back out of the kitchen in search of the much needed shower she had suggested. Hearing my name I stopped to look back at her. "I really am glad you're back." She looked almost shy as she said it, then she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and waved me off. "Go shower; you stink."

My eyes widened at the insult, and she laughed at my expression. "That's twice in one day, Ivy. Keep it up, and I'll develop a complex. Your having heightened senses doesn't give you a free pass to be rude," I joked, taking my cue from her and ignoring the momentarily somber mood.

Stopping in my bedroom, I quickly unpacked. Clothes ended up on the floor to be washed, knick-knacks that I had picked up stayed in a pile on my bed where they were eyed by Rex who was still curled up in the center of it like she owned the damn thing. I scooped up all of my remaining toiletries to take them back where they belonged. "I'm home now Rex; you're gonna have to give me back my bed whether you like it or not." Stooping to scratch her head I received a huff and a swat for my troubles. Apparently she didn't agree with my assessment.

When I finally walked into my bathroom I saw the clothes from earlier piled on the floor. _The mud in the back hall! Dammit, I need to clean that up before Ivy does_. If I didn't want to continue my ass-ness from earlier then I needed to make sure Ivy wasn't cleaning up another one of my messes. Slipping back out of the bathroom I made my way to the kitchen but I stopped abruptly at the threshold and barely contained my bark of laughter as I took in the scene in front of me.

Ivy was turned slightly away from me, head thrown back and eyes closed. One hand was splayed across her chest as though something had just scored a mortal wound to her heart and the other held and upside-down ladle to her lips like it was a microphone. Her cell, which was obviously on speaker, was lying on the center island. She was on hold with whatever restaurant she had called for takeout and their music choice apparently had rather pleased Ivy as she cleaned up the spilled utensils from the hanging rack above, courtesy of some rowdy pixy children.

"Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with, I just want your extra time and your—"

"Kiss" I supplied helpfully. At the sound of my voice her eyes shot open and the ladle slipped from her seemingly nerveless fingers.

"I th-thought y-you were getting in the shower," she stammered, her face becoming an alarming shade of red.

_Ha! I'm not the only one today! _"I was going to until I remembered the mess I made that needed to be cleaned up." I was smirking at her as I spoke though I doubted she could see me through the curtain of hair that had fallen around her face. She was bending down to pick up the fallen ladle, and I wondered at how I had managed to startle her in the first place. Ivy was generally more aware of me than _I_ was.

Deciding that a little ribbing was definitely in order after all the fun she had at my expense today I continued, "Your voice is definitely better, but I think based on pure entertainment value, Julia Roberts' rendition has you beat, hands down."

Being caught in an embarrassing situation is bad enough when you are just a regular old witch or human, but to a generally proud and graceful creature such as a vampire it can be downright mortifying. Deciding to end my teasing and give Ivy some time to collect herself and regain her composure, I walked past her to retrieve the mop out of the kitchen closet. Prince was just finishing up his song when I turned back around with the cleaning products in hand.

It was my turn to experience nerveless fingers as I came face to face with the black-eyed, beautiful vampire inches in front of me. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's not wise to taunt an injured animal, Rachel?"

_Ah, crap._


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's not wise to taunt an injured animal, Rachel?"

_Ah, crap._

_Don't panic, stay calm, don't panic, stay calm, don't panic, stay calm… Ah crap, who am I kidding? How many times in one day can I possibly deal with a vamped-out vamp and NOT lose my cool? I mean seriously._

"Yeah, but how does that apply _here_!" I shouted even as I pushed the 'don't panic' mantra from my head. I was exhausted both physically and emotionally after the day I'd had. As a result, I couldn't stop the anger that was boiling up inside me from erupting in the form of steadily-increasing shouting. "First off, I wasn't taunting you, I was teasing you! That's a BIG friggin difference." Holding up one hand I counted off fingers as I went. Each number was accompanied with a jab to Ivy's chest. "Two, you weren't _wounded;_ you were _embarrassed,_ and I don't care how important pride is to a high-blood vampire, this is a damned overreaction! And three, Miss Self-Loathing, _you aren't a freakin animal_!"

I had her backed up against the kitchen island, and it wasn't until I realized that she'd been retreating from my assault that I registered her utterly shocked expression. It wasn't until she blinked that I realized that her shocked expression was accompanied by two very wide, very _brown_ eyes. "What the hell, why aren't you all…vampy?" I squeaked.

"I, uh… what?" Her usually eloquent speech was absent; a clear victim of her shock at my sudden outburst.

"You're eyes aren't …why aren't you trying to eat me right now?" I could feel a trembling starting in my knees as the adrenaline that my fear and anger had caused, washed out of me.

"Trying to eat…were you _trying_ to provoke me into biting you?" Incredulity quickly replaced the shock on her face.

"Was I tryin…? No! Your eyes…I turned around, and you were there and growly, and your eyes were black and I snapped and now they aren't and…why aren't they? Ivy, what's so funny?" Somewhere in the middle of my rambling babble, Ivy had started to smirk and now had her head thrown back as a rumbling laugh erupted from her chest.

"You turned around and _thought_ my eyes were black and so your reaction was to literally prod me? To attack and corner me?" She said once she had taken control of herself again, her amusement still obvious in her twinkling eyes and the way she was biting her lip. "I thought you were committed to making _smarter_ decisions, Rachel." She emphasized 'smarter' with her damned annoying quotey-quotey marks before once again succumbing to her mirth.

Folding my arms across my chest I harrumphed as I dropped onto a nearby stool. "You think your so damn smart; like you've never reacted poorly to a situation." I muttered, knowing full well she could hear me. It was my turn to be embarrassed. I didn't like being laughed at or mocked, and I tended to deal with embarrassment about as well as a vampire did. I got angry and defensive. Not to quite such a potentially deadly degree as would a vampire, but it still wasn't pretty. Some might call it pouting — I didn't.

"I admit I have made mista—" She stopped abruptly as a tinny voice came through her forgotten cell.

"Sorry about the wait, you still there? What can I get for ya tonight, Ivy?" It was Tony, which meant that Ivy had called for pizza. I felt my sour mood starting to slip away at the thought of the gooey cheese and yummy sauce that would soon be here. As if to voice its approval of Ivy's dinner choice, my stomach let loose with a loud growl. _Goddess, I'm hungry._

"Rachel and I will have the usual, Tony. Delivered. Thanks." She replied, finally having won her battle to contain her fit of laughter.

"Sure thing, Ivy. It'll be there in a jiffy. Welcome back, Rachel!" His friendly greeting washed away the last of my bad mood and turned my scowl into a soft smile as he hung up.

Tony was a good guy. He was one of the few who still thought for himself and didn't just follow the popular opinion, which meant that when the shunning came down he hadn't immediately banned us from his restaurant. We had been regulars there since the end of Piscary's, and he had known us well enough to know that what was written in the papers was bogus. He asked questions of course — who wouldn't — which we answered as honestly as we could. We liked him (and his pizzas), and he seemed to like us just fine too.

Much sobered, Ivy broke through my friendly thoughts towards Tony and his delicious pizzas, "Seriously though, what were you thinking? You're damn lucky that I'm so used to controlling my instincts around you," she ground out, "much more of _that_ and I don't think we'd be laughing right now." She waved her hand in the air behind her to indicate our earlier encounter. Though still beautiful, her voice held no trace of the amusement that had colored it just a few moments before.

"You're right." I said. At any other time, the look of shocked disbelief that stole over Ivy's features at my words would have made me laugh. Tonight though, it just reminded me how much of a jerk I was. As much as my reaction had initially amused her, I could see that she was annoyed. I wasn't sure if it was with me or with the feelings that her commenting on 'having to control her instincts around me" had brought up.

"What? What do you mean, I'm right?" She said slowly, as if trying to work out when exactly I had been replaced with a pod person, "I mean, _I_ know I'm right but _you_ never admit anything like that." She stood there, arms crossed and eyes narrowed at me in suspicion.

"I mean you're right. I wasn't thinking. It was a knee-jerk reaction, and I should have controlled it better than that." The contrition was clear in my voice. "I've had like _two hours_ of sleep in the last day and a half, and I haven't eaten in god-knows-how-long," I explained. "So when I thought you were vamping out for the _fourth_ time since I had gotten back to Cincy? I just reacted." I gave her a look full of honest regret at attacking her as I had. "I didn't think first, and I should have. I'm sorry, Ivy. I really am."

She stood there, unmoving for several seconds. Becoming uncomfortable under her scrutiny and just wanting to get back to the carefree part of the day I shifted my feet. "I'm ah…I'm just gonna go clean that up now." I said as I shuffled over to where the mop and pail had fallen to the floor. Grabbing the pail I made my way over to the sink to fill the bucket with hot water and cleaner.

Once full I lifted the bucket out of the sink before turning to again face Ivy who was still just standing there. _I think I may have actually broken her_. Noticing something glinting on the floor I had to practically bite clean through my cheek to keep the smile from spreading across my face. "You know, in my defense…" I paused, waiting to see if I had her attention or not.

At the sound of my voice, she blinked and managed to throw off the stupor she had slipped into. Raising her eyebrow she fixed me a look that basically let me know that she doubted that I could come up with anything to actually _defend_ my behavior. She apparently had decided to hear me out though and in what I'm sure was meant to come across as an infinitely patient gesture; she cocked her hip and rested it against the counter. With a wave of her hand in my direction she said, "Oh please, do continue."

Ignoring her look and the complete air of sarcasm that surrounded her, I continued "…I was caught off guard." Seeing her eyes narrow suspiciously I hurried on, "I mean," bending down I placed the mop bucket on the floor and scooped up the fallen ladle. Quickly straightening up I grinned and presented her with the handle of the utensil, "I had just walked in on you singing _Prince_ of all things." At that, I could no longer hold back the smile that had been threatening since I noticed the ladle on the floor.

I watched in amusement as her face once again took on a shade of red seldom seen in the naturally occurring world. After opening and closing her mouth a few times without actually managing any kind of sound, she pushed off from the counter with her hip, turned abruptly on her heel and headed for the hallway. Just as I was starting to worry that I had gone too far she turned back and shot me a look that I think was supposed to be intimidating. The effect was somewhat lessened however, thanks to her still red rimmed ears and flushed cheeks. "If you _ever_ tell a soul about this…"

I rolled my eyes and let out a snort of laughter. "Sorry Ivy, you're gonna have to _work_ at getting your badass vampire reputation back with me. Til then, you're threats are pointless. You're about as scary as a Chihuahua." I stuck my tongue out at her as I scooped up the bucket and made my way to the back hall. As I passed her, I could have sworn I saw her lips curve up into a smile before she turned and finally made her escape from the room.

With all of the mud cleaned up and the supplies safely stored away, I made my way back to the bathroom. After the last couple of hours I was definitely looking forward to getting cleaned up. A nice cool shower was going to feel great against my overheated skin. Glancing at the clock in my bedroom on my way past I saw that it was nearing 10:30. "Crap, gonna have to make it quick shower."

Though 10:30 was still plenty early to Ivy and me, the pixies were going to want to head to bed in an hour and a half or so. I was going to have to be quick so that we could start the movie and not keep them up too late. Living with fifty plus pixies was trying enough. Dealing with fifty plus pixies that were tired and bitchy? _Oh hell no._


End file.
